New Beginnings Saturday Night Service 10-11-08

How to Thrive in Babylon---Thrive in a culture that is against you (Daniel 1:1 – 7)
What dreams and visions do you have?
Potential
Promise
Preparation – what’s needed to go further in the things of God
I have been given a lot of potential and a lot of promise (to accomplish what God wants me to in His kingdom)
The kingdom will impact people’s lives
What kind of potential and promise has God put into me?
Potential and promise – God given gifts to us
Preparation, what brings those things out to affect other people’s lives
Preparation in following God - Life and keeping our eyes on God as we go through life
There is a door somewhere, and we are the key to open that door.
Jeremiah –Prophecy, God was going to stir the pot
Daniels name changed, city besieged, nation has been in sin
Life as you know it is now different
Things that you hold dear are being taken and used for evil
David was forced to learn something false and demonic
Kidnapped, captured, displaced,
Taken from the familiar and put into unknown territory
Daniel – God is My Judge
How do you do when your world is shaken up?
(Bitterness)
We will remain strong if we build upon the things of God
His world was shaken but he was not
How do we thrive when that happens?
God disrupts the lives of those He is getting ready to use
(Moses, Abraham, Joshua, judges, Esther, Deborah, David, Saul, Peter, you)
The disruption in your life may actually be Divine direction
The things wrong in my life I may be complaining about may be the very gifts of God because he wants to bring out the potential and promise in you. (Preparation to see how we’ll respond)
When our world is shaken, God is doing something.
Heb. 12:28
(If your world is shaking you’re holding on to shakable things – Barry McGuire)
Psalm 62:1 – 2)
Psalm 15
How do we respond under pressure? (HOPE –Humility, Optimism, Perseverance, Enthusiasm)
Humility (3:1)
Submitted to the faulty system and earned the trust of others to be heard
God, I am going to submit my life to Your plan
Promise and potential will not trump preparation
Don’t ever say “That’ll never happen to me because……” because it could, and God could use that to prepare you in life
The way to greatness is to serve.
Bob Dylan –“You Gotta Serve Somebody”
Goes against what the world tells us
Optimism (Vs. 2)
The Lord gave….into his hand
The Lord did this
Next time your world gets shaken…say “God did this!”
God, You are in control
Panic and despair are not from God
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and thanksgiving
Proverbs -Anxiety will wear us down
Peter -Cast all your care on Him…
Today remember that God and God alone is able to care for all that exists. We can trust our smallest and largest concern to the wisdom and love of God
Poise
Vs. 8
Balance when it’s needed, stability, composure
Stability to pick and choose your battles
Opposite of poise – drama
Jesus Christ had great poise – before His accusers, on the cross
Enthusiasm
Vs. 17 – 20
God gave them intelligence and knowledge in every branch of literature and wisdom so that Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams…
Daniel excelled in all kinds of challenged God put before him
(1828) enthusiasm – infused with a Divine spirit
Holiness- being the best you can be at where God has put you
HOPE
What does our nation need?
By Gods grace we can thrive
What are we facing? Is our world being shaken?
He knows exactly where we’re at!
In Jesus Christ, these things become authentic…no matter WHAT happens
Give God your shaken, shaking world